Carnival shows need more venue space for demand

Spring Carnival 2012 is this weekend, and the list of events is overwhelming. Big names in entertainment like Nick Offerman (who plays Ron Swanson from Parks and Recreation) and Passion Pit will perform, hopefully making this year’s Carnival incredible.

There is a lot of pressure to contact prominent bands and performers and reel them in for our Carnival show. AB Concert and AB Comedy deserve a solid thank you and recognition for bringing in these performers, with an additional thanks to Student Activities and Undergraduate Student Senate for helping with the funding to pay for such entertainment.

However, there is a significant chance that not every student will be able to enjoy the Carnival entertainment this year. Tickets for the comedy and concert shows officially opened last Tuesday around noon and were sold out within a matter of hours. While this demonstrates how excited students were for the events, it seems that a lot of students could be left out of some of the fun this weekend.

While the wristbands are only needed in the case that it rains and the venue has to be moved indoors, Pittsburgh’s weather is sporadic at best. There is a 50 percent chance of rain on Saturday, when the concert is scheduled. If the performances do need to be moved inside, only 1,400 students out of about 9,000 (graduate and undergraduate) will be able to enjoy them.

AB Comedy and AB Concerts did a good job at getting these entertainers. However, considering the hype that comes with these performers and the general excitement surrounding Carnival shows, it would have been wise for the clubs to utilize a more suitable (i.e. larger) indoor venue. For example, possibly moving the venue to a place off campus and providing shuttles would be beneficial, because it would have meant that more students could enjoy the performers AB Comedy and AB Concerts worked so hard to get.